Integrated circuits are the cornerstone of the information age and the foundation of today's information technology industries. The integrated circuit, a.k.a. “IC,” “chip,” or “microchip,” is a set of interconnected electronic components, such as transistors, capacitors, and resistors, which are etched or imprinted onto a semiconducting material, such as silicon or germanium. Integrated circuits take on various forms including, as some non-limiting examples, microprocessors, amplifiers, Flash memories, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), static random access memories (SRAMs), digital signal processors (DSPs), dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), erasable programmable read only memories (EPROMs), and programmable logic. Integrated circuits are used in innumerable products, including computers (e.g., personal, laptop, and tablet computers), smartphones, flat-screen televisions, medical instruments, telecommunication and networking equipment, airplanes, watercraft, and automobiles.
Advances in integrated circuit technology and microchip manufacturing have led to a steady decrease in chip size and an increase in circuit density and circuit performance. The scale of semiconductor integration has advanced to the point where a single semiconductor chip can hold tens of millions to over a billion devices in a space smaller than a U.S. penny. Moreover, the width of each conducting line in a modern microchip can be made as small as a fraction of a nanometer. The operating speed and overall performance of a semiconductor chip (e.g., clock speed and signal net switching speeds) has concomitantly increased with the level of integration. To keep pace with increases in on-chip circuit switching frequency and circuit density, semiconductor packages currently offer higher pin counts, greater power dissipation, more protection, and higher speeds than packages of just a few years ago.
The advances in integrated circuits have led to related advances within other fields. One such field is sensors. Advances in integrated circuits have allowed sensors to become smaller and more efficient, while simultaneously becoming more capable of performing complex operations. Other advances in the field of sensors and circuitry in general have led to wearable circuitry, a.k.a. “wearable devices” or “wearable systems.” Within the medical field, as an example, wearable devices have given rise to new methods of acquiring, analyzing, and diagnosing medical issues with patients, by having the patient wear a sensor that monitors specific characteristics. Related to the medical field, other wearable devices have been created within the sports and recreational fields for the purpose of monitoring physical activity and fitness. For example, a user may don a wearable device, such as a wearable running coach, to measure the distance traveled during an activity (e.g., running, walking, etc.), and measure the kinematics of the user's motion during the activity.
An important aspect of a wearable device is the interface between the wearable device and the biological surface of the user, such as the user's skin, and the ability of the wearable device to measure the specific characteristics of the user. Many of the specific characteristics measured by the wearable device rely on the wearable device being able to detect biological signals from the user, such as thermal and/or electrical signals. Conventionally, the wearable devices had to rely on connecting to external electrodes to measure the biological signals. However, such external electrodes that connect to such skin-mounted wearable devices are typically cumbersome and add to the overall thickness of the wearable devices. Consequently, the additional thickness of the external electrodes restricts the ability of the wearable device to conform, and can contribute to user discomfort.
Further, the wearable device must be robust and be able to withstand a wide variety of movements and environments during use to be effective both functionally and economically. However, modifications to the wearable device to increase its durability cannot impact the functionality of the device, such as the ability of the wearable device to detect the biological signals of the user. Additionally, while the wearable devices are generally conformable, certain portions of the wearable devices may need reinforcement, such as to protect electronic components. Again, such reinforcement cannot impact the ability of the wearable device to function, such as detecting biological signals of the user.
Accordingly, a need exists for a wearable device with reinforcements to electrical components that do not affect the ability of the wearable device to function as intended. A need also exists, therefore, for wearable devices that are protected from the external environment, while not impacting the ability of the devices to conform to biological surfaces.